My new pedalboard: The Hamilton

[guitylerham]

Hey guys, just got my latest iteration of my style of pedalboards going. First version lasted a good while but as I started to need to fix things, I realized I didn't build the thing with ease of fixing in mind. This latest version had that concept paramount!

I spent about 80 hours straight from start to finish (should've been a quicker job had I seen some obvious mistakes along the way) and I'm happy to say it's about 99% there. Check it out:

Mostly GGG boards and parts from Smallbear, Mouser, and 1776.

Signal from guitar goes in >
>Si Fuzz face (NPN Axis Face)
>Rangemaster (with input cap blend knob ala DAM Red Booster)
*I included a dpdt slide switch to change the order from Input>FF>Rangemaster or Input>Rangemaster>FF because I wasn't sure which order I wanted these two circuits to be.

From that switch, the signal goes to an opamp buffer/splitter where one output goes to a Turbo Strobe Tuner and the other goes to the next circuit:
>Tubescreamer  (pretty stock option, 1n4001 clipping diodes)
>SHO boost
>EA Tremolo
>Magnavibe (Vibrato based on the old Magnatone amp vibrato)
>Deluxe Memory Man w/ buffered bypass (my previous build I etched and made my own DMM but this time I just rehoused an old 90's DMM inside)
>Rub-a-Dub Deluxe (1776 circuit based on the BTDR-3H)
Master mute switch (mute grounds amp input AND pedalboard output) with red=mute, green=play led jewel status.

Every pedal is true bypassed (except for the DMM) using 1776 optotron boards. I had some trouble with switch popping but I think it was due to DC voltage being present in the signal line. Got most of the popping figured out though.

Power is two Smallbear transformers: one for the aux 9vdc out jack and all the analog circuits, and the other transformer for the tuner and reverb circuits--with just those two circuits I think I'm pushing the rating of the transformer so I might upgrade to something bigger. I originally planned to use the multitap weber transformer made for pedal power supplies. The original 24vdc transformer powers the DMM. I used 100r resistors and 100uf electros on the power supply sends to help "isolate" each pedal as much as I could. After all, a relatively quiet pedalboard! Though on my first gig at an outdoor concert, I couldn't use the new pedalboard because of some horrendous hum on top of the guitar signal. I later deduced that perhaps it was a ground loop and I should have tried a ground lift adapter on the pedalboard. It was perplexing because the board was silent at home before and after the gig when I came back and tested it! Go figure.

I wanted  a pedalboard designed for my needs using the circuits that I can see myself using for the next period of time. I used two and three wire male/female plugs that RC folks use to connect servos and receivers in their vehicles so that I could connect the PCB's to all the pots, switches and remove them easily. I laid out the controls so that in the event I wanted to swap out circuits for new ones, as long as I found circuits with similar controls I could replace them without really altering the outside appearance.

This design isn't for everyone but I really like it and it's exactly what I want when I'm on stage. And I must say, I didn't realize how cool Fuzz Faces were. I'd always heard (and I built one in high school) but only recently with this new board did I get to play with a FF again. Chewy and explosive tone with such variety at your fingertips!

Anyway, I thought I'd contribute some of my work since I've gathered so much information from this forum and others over the years. It's always an invaluable resource being able to ask a question and get relevant answers when we need. Thanks everyone!















Here's the original that I built several years ago. I do dig the color scheme of the old one!


Annnd here you can see exactly how messy the old one was. I didn't want a repeat of that spaghetti disaster. Eventually wires fail when they're left to flop around under the weight of the PCB's.

[thermionix]

Is your name Tyler Hamilton?  Or are you two members of Aerosmith?

That's a helluva project.  Dig the tooled leather.  Hope you are plugging a Gretsch Roundup into that. 

Also, you forgot the Dynacomp (he he).

[guitylerham]

Thanks. You got it

My previous one did have an Orange Squeezer, I just found that I rarely used it so in the process of making this new one smaller, the comp got the boot!

It's mainly a Tele or Jazzmaster going into that thing, then into either a small tweed Harvard, tweed Pro, or DR. They do the job.

[heathfball20]

This is freaking cool! Where did you find an enclosure that size? Im not afraid to dive into something like this head first!

[blackieNYC]

Awesome!
I'm aiming to get rid of pedal "boards" altogether, by putting several in a box. I've done  a six-in-one, starting another. I'll go on about recycling again - 1u rack mount gear is a perfect height. Cheap studio gear, hi-fi, broadcast, network switches. All this stuff if thrown out by the ton.  Half the stuff has 1/4" jacks on the back already.
The boards are individually built - if someone wants to buy something,or if I get tired of one, I can just yank it out.
I would not dare to put a photo of mine in this thread! Very cool sir!

[guitylerham]

I bent up a sheet of 1/16th" aluminum with a metal brake!

Does one just hang out by the dumpster outside a recording studio to find these recycled rack boxes? I think I'd miss stomping on something while I played! I'd love to see one of your boxes too!

[blackieNYC]

Oh it's a stompbox. Some rack ears are removable. Others can be chopped off.
decal didn't work so well.
Where to get them - is challenging. There are companies that "recycle" electronics. Some of it they try to sell as-is. Sometimes their stuff shows up on eBay:"power light comes on, functional status unknown, no refunds"
Repair shops, radio stations, home studio owners (many of which are dumpster divers themselves) might come across something. The above was a KVM extender for a pc.
The m-audio Delta 1010 - Millions of these were made and they die all the time. There are 16 1/4" jacks on the rear! Found a broken one for $45. You might want to cut the rack ears off with a hacksaw. The chassis is about 6" deep IIRC.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/Non-Functional-M-Audio-Delta-1010-Breakout-Box-/121114392348?nav=SEARCH

[ElectricDruid]

Hey guys, just got my latest iteration of my style of pedalboards going. First version lasted a good while but as I started to need to fix things, I realized I didn't build the thing with ease of fixing in mind. This latest version had that concept paramount!

Very cool! You still have a functioning memory if you know what those knobs do with no labels. You should drink more beer until you cure that. But aside from that, I like it a lot. The use of RC connectors for pots is clever. As you say, you can easily swap things around should your needs change.

I'm impressed. Nice work.

Tom

[Quackzed]

that's awesome! i always wanted to do something with that same leather pattern, i remember i found it looking for something cool to cover an amp , but never ended up doing it. very cool! 

[thermionix]

Thanks. You got it

My previous one did have an Orange Squeezer, I just found that I rarely used it so in the process of making this new one smaller, the comp got the boot!

It's mainly a Tele or Jazzmaster going into that thing, then into either a small tweed Harvard, tweed Pro, or DR. They do the job.

Pics of tweeds? 

[guitylerham]

BlackieNYC: That's a cool idea putting circuits into that enclosure, especially with a patch bay in the back allowing you switch orders or remove things completely!

ElectricDruid: Yeah, I went back and forth about how to label each control but I became so familiar with them that I just didn't need them in the end. I think it gives a sense of sophistication... or like you said, a sense of sobriety!

Here are some pics of my amps and by "tweeds" I should mention I also built them and they're covered in various things loosely tweedish:

V-Front Tweed Super




Tweed Harvard




Tweed Pro




Thanks for the kinds words, everyone!

[GiovannyS10]

Damn-it! Very nice!  But man, if it have labels i would feel me confused, but without it... Is impossible for me use it. Hahahaha

Very nice stuff. I made a thing like this, but was 4 pedals only. Yours is too better. 

[guitylerham]

Damn-it! Very nice!  But man, if it have labels i would feel me confused, but without it... Is impossible for me use it. Hahahaha

Very nice stuff. I made a thing like this, but was 4 pedals only. Yours is too better. 

It's like riding a bike. If I did make labels, I'd want them to be etched in polished aluminum tags that the potentiometer nut secures to the board. But man, that would mess up the whole sleek feel. I'm still pondering though...

[vigilante397]

I would tell you my first reaction to seeing this, but the server would automatically censor most of the words Really killer looking build, and the amps as well.

[guitylerham]

Thank you, vigilanate397. I actually had a few expletives for this thing myself while I was building it but that's a little different than what you were getting at

[stallik]

Really nice build. One question, where you've placed 2 foot switches above another, how easy is it to operate the top one without touching the lower?

[guitylerham]

Really nice build. One question, where you've placed 2 foot switches above another, how easy is it to operate the top one without touching the lower?

Thanks. I have the lower footswitch threaded with the nuts so that the button sits as low to the surface of the enclosure as possible, while the uppermost footswitch is pushed all the way through so that it is as high as possible. With the built in angle of the enclosure and while standing, I don't think I've ever accidentally hit the lower button while trying to engage the upper one. While sitting at the pedalboard though, I have to be a little more precise with my foot...